System Requirements and Recommendations

Table 3-1 Memory, Swap, and Processor Recommendations

Requirement Type

Size

Memory to install or upgrade

For UFS or ZFS root file systems, 1.5 GB is the minimum memory required for installation. However, note that some optional installation features are enabled only when sufficient memory is present. For example, if your system has insufficient memory and you install from a DVD, you install through the Oracle Solaris installation program's text installer, not through the GUI.

In previous Solaris releases, you could not install and boot the Oracle Solaris OS from a disk that was greater than 1 TB in size. Starting with the Oracle Solaris 10 10/09 release, you can install and boot the Oracle Solaris OS from a disk that is up to 2 TB in size.

Starting with the Oracle Solaris 10 10/09 release, you can use the VTOC label on a disk of any size, but the addressable space by the VTOC is limited to 2 TB. This feature allows disks that are larger than 2 TB to be used as boot drives, but the usable space from the label is limited to 2 TB.

Note - This feature is only available on systems that run a 64-bit kernel. A minimum of 1.5 GB of memory is required for x86 based systems.

Note - You might need to customize the
swap space. Swap space is based on the size of the system's hard
disk.

Processor requirements

SPARC: 200 MHz or faster processor is required.

x86: 120 MHz or faster processor is recommended. Hardware floating-point support is required.

You can choose to install the software with a GUI or with
or without a windowing environment. If there is sufficient memory, the GUI is
displayed by default. Other environments are displayed by default if memory is insufficient for
the GUI. You can override defaults with the nowin or text boot
options, but, you are limited by the amount of memory in your system
or if you install remotely. Also, if the Oracle Solaris installation program does
not detect a video adapter, it automatically displays in a console-based environment.

For both the text-based and GUI-based installation methods, the minimal memory requirement is
1.5 GB or greater. The types of installation are as follows:

Text-based – Contains no graphics, but provides a window and the ability to open other windows.

If you install by using the text boot option and the system has enough memory, you are installing in a windowing environment. If you are installing remotely through a tip line or using the nowin boot option, you are limited to the console-based installation.